I like taking tennis lessons from different coaches. My first coach will be my last coach, lord willing. Caesar Schwarz shepherded me into tennis and he continually guides and influences the development of my game, such that it is. He is both a fine teacher and a superb player.
But, there have been others. Most have been good, one truly excellent. The best coaches read their students and think constantly of how best to impart what they know about tennis and maybe life.
That’s obvious and sounds simple, but simple is not always easy. Today I was sitting on court waiting for my Monday hitting partner when the teaching pro on the other court started chatting with me. His student, who I’m guessing was eleven or twelve, was taking a quick breather. The kid looked good when he was working on his volleys. His backhand slice was especially tidy and well-controlled.
The coach was a tennis player, through and through. Young, strong, tan, fit. He was dressed casually but not sloppily. Though the day was pure SoCal winter perfection, he wrapped a white towel over his head to protect from the sun. Only a real tennis player could pull that look off. I asked him if he usually taught there (a park in the Conejo Valley). “Nah, I usually teach at private courts. There are tons of good juniors out there. He’s not one of them,” he said with a wink and a tilt of the head.
I felt bad for the boy with the nice slice volley. His coach, right or wrong, had betrayed him to a total stranger. I thought to myself that the coach just hadn’t been around enough to know when to hold his tongue, no matter if he was wrong or right.
Later on I heard the coach talking about footwork to his next student. I didn’t get all of what he said but it was something about a Russian player he played against.
“The Russians really teach footwork and a smart student will never forget. Once you have good footwork you can rely on it for the rest of your tennis life. You’ll never lose it.”
I kinda wish I had heard the pro say that before I heard him diss his student. I might have tried to get a lesson from him.
Tt
Tennis thing 